Abu Mohammad al-Julani, leader of the al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, delivered a victory speech at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, declaring the success of the “mujahideen” against former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has reportedly fled to Moscow.
“Today, Syria is purified, thanks to God almighty,” Julani said. “Thanks to God almighty, then thanks to the heroic mujahideen.”
Julani criticized Assad, whose family ruled Syria for more than 50 years, saying he had let the country become a haven “for Iranian greed.”
HTS began its lightning offensive on November 27 from the northwestern Idlib province, which it has controlled since 2017. HTS and its allies quickly seized Aleppo, Hama, and then Damascus.
Julani was formerly the leader of al-Nusra Front, which was the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. In 2016, Julani rebranded, claiming to cut ties with al-Qaeda, and changed his groupâs name to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, which merged with other Islamist groups to form HTS in 2017.
The US has long sought the overthrow of Assad, and despite HTS’s links with al-Qaeda, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the US wouldn’t “cry” about the pressure Syria and its allies were facing from the militant group’s offensive.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali, who stayed in the country, said he was willing to “cooperate” with whoever Syrians choose as their leader. “This country can be a normal country that builds good relations with its neighbors and the world,” Jalali said, according to The New Arab. “But this issue is up to any leadership chosen by the Syrian people. We are ready to cooperate with it (that leadership) and offer all possible facilities.”
Meet the new boss, same as the old … boss.
Actually, they might end up liking the old boss a whole lot more, based on the history of HTS (or ISIS, or Al Nusra, or Al Qaida, whatever you want to call it..)
So the next obvious action would be an attack and throw the Russians out from Syria for their lack of vision. However, if this group decided not throw out the Russians, then you know it was part of an agreement with Israel and Turkey. Essentially cutting off Iran and try to calm things down. If Russians are ousted, they deserve what they get. If not, Iran just got shafted by Russia.
Russia and Iran and Assad already left?
So much for the 'War on Terror' when we just stood by and watched two terrorist organizations overthrow a nation. ISIS and Al-Qaeda rebranded and we give them a pass? When next September 11 rolls around, I don't want to see or hear a word about it, when it's clear our government is past all that 'terrorist' stuff. For the folks celebrating the fall of Syria, go ahead and put those little ISIS and Al-Qaeda flags on your social media profiles- you're on their team now.
We, and Israel, hired the thugs.
First thing Israel did was to roll tanks into Syria. The illegal annexation of the Golan Heights will be complete. Netanyahu is having an orgasm over the long laid out plans (aided by the U.S.) coming to fruition.
The leader of HTS has said the next plan is to go into Lebanon.
We, and Israel, have f*cked up the region for no good purpose other than secure more oil (if HTS allows that).
Israel better not chortle too much. The promise of the HTS to allow Israeli embassies into Syria, and all nice things, will soon sour.
Israel may soon be fighting HTS. Our soldiers in Syria are at risk.
This is so f*cked.
'First thing Israel did was to roll tanks into Syria. The illegal annexation of the Golan Heights will be complete.'
Haha, aren't you here often in support of Putin's invasion and annexation of Ukraine.
Where is your consistency?
Oh Almond – if it weren't for your Whataboutism, this conversation would be idiot-free.
I imagine Israel is also looking to steal water.
According to Chas Freeman, the US has a longstanding $10 million bounty on the head of the new leader of Syria.
The Syrian resistance and the Syrian people taught me a lot this week. For years I dismissed the accusations of mass murders, torture and poison gas against Assad's regime as Western propaganda. Well, it is obvious that the Syrian people did not.
Will HTS be better than the Taliban? I hope so. But the Syrian people have decided that they will give HTS a chance to prove they are not Daesh any more. It's their call.
I have observed national liberation movements for over 60 years. The unrestrained joy at the fall of Assad was not the result of bribery. The scenes of spontaneous celebration in Damascus and around Syria, including both Sunnis and Shiites, reminds me of the Fidelistas marching into Havana, the Indian Army liberating East Pakistan in 1971, the North Vietnamese liberating Saigon, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the celebrations at the fall of Mubarek, the Taliban sweeping into Kabul. Some of these revolutions failed. But I have learned to recognize the fall of an unpopular regime.
By contrast, except for Crimea, there has been no outpouring of universal joy where the Russian army conquers territory in Ukraine, not even in Donbas. I discount the propaganda on all sides in any war. But the scenes being broadcast out of Syria now are not staged. The virtually unanimous verdict of the Syrian people celebrating the overthrow of Assad contrasts sharply with the resolute resistance of the Ukrainians to the Russian invasion.
Hamas moved a long way from its anti-Semitic 1988 charter and its suicide bombings of the 1990's. Nelson Mandela learned a lot after he advocated bombing shopping centers and other civilian targets in the 1960's. Eventually Hamas and the ANC grew into legitimate national liberation movements. Has HTS truly outgrown its terrorist roots? I hope so. But only time will tell.
Do not count on it. They are drunk with power.
AND alcohol !
https://x.com/HadiNasrallah/status/1865774037672059337
https://x.com/sahouraxo/status/1865774132064903218
I don’t understand your point. If Israel is bombing Damascus it contradicts the proposition that HTS are stooges for the Zionists.
I am interested to see what HTS’s position will be on Israeli occupation and attacks on Syria and, more importantly, on support for the Palestinian resistance.
Israel is dropping bombs on Syriaâs capital.
While continuing to strike villages in South Lebanon despite the so-called âceasefire,â and relentlessly pounding Gaza.
This is what Western media calls âliberationâ.
This is a NATO, US-Israeli imperialistic expansion.
Israel is planting flags, FFS
Then why is Israel, according to your link, bombing its agents in Damascus?
Stop concluding what we can’t know at this point and give the Syrian people a chance to sort out their own future.
You actually believe Israel is doing this out of the goodness of its heart?
Israel is planting Israeli flags
More:
@zei_squirrel
get ready for a deluge of “why are you denying Yemeni agency? OMG DO YOU KNOW HOW EVIL THE HOUTHIS ARE?!?!?” propaganda to be pumped out from all the typical scum as the operation proceeds
@zei_squirrel
2h
They’re going to go after Yemen next. Israeli media is already prepping it.
Of course Israel is trying to advance the Zionist colonization project every chance it gets. That does not mean that the Syrian people are not exercising their right to self determination by overthrowing a vicious tyrant. Reality is not bipolar. Assad and Netanyahu are not the only alternatives possible for the Syrian people.
Hamas itself abandoned Assad in 2012 after he cracked down on the dissidents. Hamas left its headquarters in Syria and scattered throughout the middle east until they were able to set up a headquarters in Qatar.
I support the axis of resistance. But that does not mean I believe all the Russian and Iranian propaganda. Or the Hamas propaganda for that matter. Although Hamas seems to be more credible than anyone else in the Middle East.
The Houthis have shown by their actions that they will stand in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance even if they have to stand without Iranian backing.. They have also shown the ability to mobilize millions of Yemeni people. And the will and capacity to fight effectively against powerful adversaries like KSA , UAE, USA and UK. That cannot be faked or discounted. But the authenticity of the Houthis does not justify or excuse the evil of Assad's Baathist regime.
.
This is a bizarre strawman.
My point: this was a NATO, US/Israeli empire act for control of the region. Whether people were enthusiastic with the plotting is not the point. The US and Israel do not gaf about these people.
You are denying the agency of the Syrian people. The US/NATO and Israel can't create a mass movement to overthrow a regime without popular support. They have tried and they failed. The Syrian people made a choice. Let's see how it plays out for them, the Palestinians and the rest of the world. Some political leaders change and most political leaders lie. It is too early to know who will wind up governing Syria and certainly too early to judge the sincerity or competence of the new leadership.
Are you serious?
The US/CIA has a very long history of instigating the overthrow of governments.
And people have an even longer history of overthrowing despots. Give the Syrian people a chance to build a new regime before you judge it.
Are you a 14 year old Israeli or do you work from home in Bangalore for a hasbara farm?
This was a US empire act. There will not be a regime that is not controlled by the US/Israel.
This is all for Israel.
The US has a $10 million bounty on Julani’s head. He is not a likely tool of the empire. But I could be wrong. We should wait and see if he is sincere or a hypocrite. You are mistaken to be certain about things we can’t know yet.
They are fucking rehabilitating him.
https://x.com/KowKunt/status/1865756451144335695
I think he may be rehabilitating himself. Let's wait and see. Don't be so certain of your a prioi assumptions about other people's motives..
Some people change from terrorists to revolutionaries (e.g, Hamas, Nelson Mandela) and some terrorists pretend to be revolutionaries (e.g, Julius Nyere). Time will tell. Judge Julani and HTS by their actions.Not your assumptions.
OMG, you are dense.
This was a coordinated overthrow of Syria by the US and Israel.
I am judging Israel rolling in with tanks and bombing Syria.
You are not thinking critically.
How can you align with the country committing genocide? This isnât about a refreshing start.
Whether Israel/US can control them long term remains to be seen. But they are not liberators of Muslims.
They want canals and pipelines.
Skywalker,
FYI I edited a typo in your comment that caused it to be held for approval. When trying to type the word “like,” you instead typed an anti-semitic slur. I edited that and approved the comment, assuming it was an unintentional typo. If I was wrong and it was intentional, please let me know so I can ban you đ
How dare you edit my words of wisdom!
Seriously, thanks, Tom. I am surprised my typo passed the DISQUS spell check. No red line appeared.
Could it be the site’s AI bots are anti-Semitic? Or are the bots resorting to entrapment?
Did you also edit the previous "Shut the fuck up" Wars R Us wrote in his response to me in now archived article?
Isn't that against site guidelines?
I've seen posters being banned for lesser language here?
No, telling someone to shut the fuck up isn’t against the site’s guidelines.
No, telling someone to shut the fuck up isn’t against the site’s guidelines.
When it's a statement that is a) entirely justified and b) reflects the overwhelming majority of Commenters' wishes, it's allowed.
Wars Russell encouraging you to STFU exceeds both criteria.
Neither of the two criteria you list have anything to do with the matter. You can make an entirely unjustified statement that nobody likes and unless it violates the site's guidelines, it's allowed.
I’m taking a pointed shot(s) at the ucking fidiot Almond is. Mine was satire.
Israel is destroying what they can of Syria.
I get that you hate the Zionists. But can't you see the flaw in your one-sided logic? If Israel wants HTS to take over Syria, then it would not bomb Damascus while HTS is trying to consolidate power.
I hate the Zionists too. But there is no perfect evil and there is no perfect good. Reality is more complicated than that. The only logical approach to the rise of HTS is to wait and see what emerges in the coming weeks.
Israel doesnât gaf about these people. They are destroying Syria. That is the goal. This is an expansion of imperialism.
And please stop writing what you think my argument or feelings are.
I am interested to see what HTS's position will be on Israeli occupation and attacks on Syria and, more importantly, on support for the Palestinian resistance.
HTS wouldn't have taken over even one city if they weren't on board with playing nice with Israel. This didn't just happen. They figured out how to play the game to their advantage. I wouldn't expect they will make a fuss about the Palestinians or any other shit Israel decides to do. Who did you think was going to benefit the most with Assad going down? It sure as hell wasn't going to be the Syrians.
Why in the world would you think anything you are allowed to see about what is going on in Syria right now is not staged? This whole operation (including even an interview on CNN (!!) with the lead head-chopper himself) seems quite well-choreographed to me.
That Assad was a tyrant with a bloody security system was well-known. So is every regime in this part of the world from Egypt to Iran to our Gulf friends to Turkey to our occupation buddies. But the fact that Assad was a tyrant does not verify that he used gas on his own people or any number of other western propaganda.
Finally, note that the Syrian people themselves are and have been for decades subject to intense propaganda from Gulf and US sources … much of what they believe about their nation, its actions, and the world may not necessarily be so.
Some of the stuff we are seeing can’t be faked. The demonstrations are huge. There was no resistance to the rebel sweep that overthrew the regime. No one was willing to stand up for Assad. That is not like Ukraine, or Cuba in the bay of pigs, or Pakistan when Khan was imprisoned. Question all propaganda. But look at what is happening.
The US is very good at faking.
Every government is good at faking. And everyone with an army lies when it suits their interest. It is a mistake to believe that any side in a conflict has a monopoly on truth. But as I said above, some of the stuff we are seeing can't be faked. The support for overthrowing Assad was overwhelming.
Not every govt has the world spanning powers of CNNFOXNBCCBS not to mention Hollywood etc. on its side, do they?
Correct. USA is the preeminent superpower. But there are other less powerful imperialist powers who can’t be trusted including the UK, France, Israel and Russia. Very rarely the USA winds up on the right side of history for the wrong reasons, like in Ukraine.
Nonetheless there is irrefutable evidence that the overthrow of Assad reflected the will of the majority of the Syrian people and was a righteous act. The situation is roughly analogous to Cuba in 1959 when Eisenhower and Dulles abandoned Battista and offered US backing to Castro if he would cooperate. It didn’t work. The USA still has a $10 bounty on Julani. I think Biden, Trump and the Zionists are still trying to figure him out. And so am I. As I have said, sometimes terrorists mature into revolutionaries. Sometimes revolutionaries devolve into mass murderers. I am hoping that HTS will support the Palestinian struggle which is the main reference point for progressive values in the Middle East and lately for the entire world.
Assad is gone, just embrace it.
Also, turn on your TV, it might help.
My tv is full of lies … so is yours. But you like the lies.
Just as the slave markets and desperados of Libya post-Ghaddafi put the lie to western supported "freedom fighters" so will the poor people of Syria find that what they've been seeing on their Qatar and US supported "news" is nonsense … but too late now.
I do not believe one word of imperialist propaganda about bashar al-assad. syria is a the scene of yet another outrageous U.S. regime-change crime. just like iraq. libya. and all the rest.
Richard Medhurst @richimedhurst
4h
Israel just took over Jabal Al Sheikh and is bombing Damascus.
Here's your Zionist, NATO-backed revolution. Own it.
https://x.com/richimedhurst/status/1865777626473721992
Conscious Stranger @aware_wanderer
2h
Replying to @richimedhurst
Israel has just carried out an airstrike on the Immigration and Passport Building in Damascus, #Syria
https://x.com/aware_wanderer/status/1865816982408307181
We're told the headchoppers have a victory and all Syrians are celebrating, but it's still necessary to bomb the government buildings? Not one critical thinker in the MSM.
Will the USA invade Syria soon in the name of fighting terrorism and while there gear up a runway and fly F-35s to Iran? Stay tuned!
Just came here to see all the sore losers that have been supporting this dictator and many others in this blog for a long time.
It is very satisfying to see them on disbelieve now hoping that the next leader will be much worse so they can find redemption.
Haha. Assad and its supporters have lost. Sleep on it.
Really hoping coward Putin is next.
Why don't you move to Syria and ask what you as a woman can do to help the new regime. Do you think you'd be posting on here much after that?
Not sure HTS has a posting on Syria's version of jobshop looking for "A Complete Dips**t, no education required". If they did they've have e-mailed Almond directly.
Because I don't have to.
Syrians “have to” thanks to people like you.
You're a liar and nobody should listen to and/or believe anything you have to say.
And you are sore loser.
No one but your other comrades here believe your Russian propaganda.
Sorry for your loss, Glory to Ukraine.
See ? More lies.
How did julius ceaser take Gaul? How did Cortez take…How did western poor eruos most englanders,at first take a continent? They didnt do it using a bathtub…/
So the US and Israeli backed Al Qaeda group has finally won in Syria….. the group that Obama Trump and Biden all funded at various times in the half dozen named iterations to confuse the public……. where we have seen moderate muslims where women were treated reasonably well under Middle Eastern standards to a group that will in all probability install a regime of Burkas and worse.
âToday, Syria is purified, thanks to God almighty,â Julani said. âThanks to God almighty, then thanks to the heroic mujahideen.â
"Syria is purified". When do the head chopping's and public executions begin? Sunni Saudi Arabia (SA) has finally gotten its head for Saddam. Islamist Turkey and SA can now reconstitute the Ottoman Empire caliphate to include Syria.
Was Vlad overextended by the protracted battle for Ukraine made possible by the US and NATO, and unable to protect his ally Assad in Syria? Disastrously for Vlad Shiite Iran's proxy army Hamas attacked Israel. Israel in response has mightily abused Gaza, Lebanon, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran (while supplied and shielded by the US), result Vlad has lost Syria and his naval base at Tartus on the Mediterranean.
The great game of nations continues.
Had the Israeli and American dirty war in Syria not been so brutal, the natives' response wouldn't have escalated to that level. A crusader historian in describing the contrast (even after the Crusader slaughter of Muslims and Jews in Jerusalem in 1099) between Saladin's bloodless liberation of the City in 1187 with Sultan Baybars' much less merciful battles against the Crusades of the late 13th century, pointed out that Muslim response escalated to match the brutality of the Crusader insistence on staying in the Levant as occupiers. The more the west meddles the more the resistance grows.
Agreed. The Sectarian hatred and division within Syria was also a major factor. Aljazeera (Qatar) fueled it and kept it going, non-stop.
It is true that Al Jazeera is biased (as is any media oit let to varying degrees). However, their journalism has been monumental in informing the public on what's happening in the region like no other. All major media outlets in the ME are either government controlled or government funded. The fact that Qatar supports Islamic movements is an indication of how well entrenched they are in Arab civil society. Also keep in mind it takes one person or a few people to cause death and destruction that can be used to blame an entire group or ideology. The sectarian division was fueled by bad actors. The challenge of the majority is to give everyone else justice. Its a tall order but that is the principle and ideal to work toward.
Oh, no? In one day the US sent in 70 air strike sorties, including B-52's doing Arc Light-style mass area bombing. Meanwhile, the Israelis are bombing downtown Damascus the same way they did downtown Beirut in Lebanon.
Not crying? Looks more like they "got what they wished for" and don't like it.
I think the Biden Admin while going out the door has been throwing hand grenades into the delicate situations in the world, both to leave behind the biggest possible mess, and to take their last chance gambles on everything they'd been cooking. If Kamala had won, this would not have happened now, the CIA and its Turkish cutouts would not have launched this into Syria when they did.
According to Chas Freeman, in a new video, the US has had a $10 million bounty on the head of the new leader of Syria. That does not look like a win to me.
Regardless, the Neocons are celebrating and will continue to celebrate their latest "win" in Syria. They're gonna be more insufferable than they already were. My neighbors will be repeating Neocon slogans forever.
Much will depend on their attitude vs. Israel. Pro, con, or neutral. Now that they are our "good guys", should Israel return the Golan Heights to "our boys"?
Hey, all you nitwits who think that problems in Ukraine all started the instant the Russian Federation launched it's SMO (pretending Maidan et. al. never happened & nobody handed out cookies) … RIGHT NOW is when all future "problems in Syria" begin.
Not when the terrorist government of HTS is overthrown by an even more blatantly Al-Qaedenese or Daeshi'i terrorist org with fewer ties to the USA, in a few months or couple years. NOW.
We will not let you ignore the reality of this past weekend in your attempt to retconn history f**king again and again.